The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-11-17
BROOKHAVEN, MISS.
The Best and Most Attractive
Town on the L. c. Rail-
road South Of Jackson
Its Location, Size, Healthfulness'
and other Points of Interest
which the Stranger Wishes
to Know.

The city of Brookhaven is located on
the Illinois Central Railroad, 129 miles
north of New Orleans, 55 miles south
Of Jackson, the State Capital, and 1856
miles south of Chicago. 1t is 500 feet
above tidewater, and is the highest
| point on the Illinois Central Railroad
between the Gulf of Mexico and Holly
| Springs, Miss, 200 miles to the north.
It is the county site of Lincoln county.
where all county business is transacted,
and is the only town in the county ex-
cept Bogue Chitoo. q small place situated
ten miles south. The corporate limits
embrace a square mile, of which the
railroad depot is the centre. Its streets
are we'll paved with brick and gravel.
and such thing as mud and slush Is
hardly known. Many of the streets
are lined with water oak and other
shade trees, and the railroad park forms
an attractive feature of Railroad av-
enue. The houses of the city are well
built and substantial Those in the
business district are mainly of brick,
while the residences are uniformly
frame. and many of them quite stately
and handsome. Quite number OF
handsome new residences and business
houses have been erected during the
past two years, and many others en-
.arged or otherwise improved.
n business Aspect.
The business of Brookhaven Is OF q
staple and promising character. The
record will show that there have been
fewer failures among her business men
than in any other town of like size In
The State. 1t is the market and trading
point of a majority OF the people OF the
county, as we'll as a very large proportion
from Franklin, Jefferson and Lawrence
counties. The different business and
professional vocations represented are
briefly summed up as follows: Twen-
! ty-five general mercantile houses; three
drug stores; three millinery stores; two
bakeries; four hotels and two boarding
houses; two restaurants and fancy gro
Gerry stores; one undertaken and hard
ware store; one store and tin house; one
furniture house; three boot and shoe
makers; two dental offices; one photo
graph gallery; two newspapers; one
jeweler; four physicians; seven lawyers;
two insurance agencies; one foundry;
one machinst aud general repairer;
one blacksmith shop AMI one blacksmith
and wagon shop; two livery stables;
six carpenters; three BARRIERS, one mar.
ket house, and one real es. ate agency.
A number of our mercantile houses
carry stocks which in size, variety and
quality. compare favorably with those
of places of much greater size. The
saw mills of the county. with their hun
drcds of employees and dependents, and
the sturdy agricultural population. VIII
sus ain and contnu lily increase our
commercial importance.
to.,u alton a ID Property Valuation.
BY the census of 1SSGs tho total pop
ulation within the city IS shown 10 be
1,6l5-the whites being largely in the
major ty. At this time the number Will
not fall below 1000. and if we except
the manufacturing town of Wesson,
ten miles north, it is TIE largest of any
town on the Illinois Central between
New Orleans and jackson. AS a rule,
the people are intelligent, highly cul-
tured, industrious, ,;ocial AMI hospita-
bic. Nearly all of the foreign popula-
ton of the county is concentrated here,
embracing O number of different ma
tonalities, but all harmonzing and
mingling together as citizens of a COM
mon country without the least discord.
The Jewish Is the pre- pondcrat ng foreign
cement, and here rs elsewhere its rep
resentatives are numbered among our
most res ponsible, energetic and public
spirited mcr. hants and business men.
Our town does not show rapid in
crease OF wealth. but its growth is
steady and healthy. The assessed val
uat on of property for 1886 is as fol-
lows: Realty, 500, 020; personally,
Sl77. 992; total, S437,O16.
The financial status of the city is ex-
cellert 1t is ont of debt and its war;
rants at par. Neither are taxes exorb-
liant, the levy for 1886 being u mills,
including school tax.
All the business portion of the city is
provided with large public cisterns. and
. good hand-engine and hook and lad
der apparatus, operated by four COM
panies of well organized volunteer fire.
men, furnish reasonable safety from
the destruction of the fire tiend.
Society, Schools and Churches.
Brookhaven has ever been noted for
the beauty of her women and the gal
lantry of her men. and in point of in
telligence. culture and animation
her society circles will compare favora-
bly, with those of any other community.
Bishop G. B. Galloway. of the M. E
Church, South; Hon. j. B. Chrisman.
Judge of the Tenth Judicial District;
Hon. j. F. Sessions, President of the
Mississippi Railroad Commission; Pres
ident Fitzhugh. Of Whitworth College,
and many others of high social position
and intelligence reside here.
With schools our city is highly fav-
ored First and foremost of these il